These days, the key qualities for network professionals to possess might be some of the most difficult to quantify: business savvy and interpersonal skills.

In a Robert Half Technology survey conducted last year, 41% of 1,400 CIOs surveyed said they are putting more emphasis on such business fundamentals as accounting, finance and general operations than they did five years ago; only 3% said those fundamentals have become less important.

As IT professionals play a more prominent role in strategic decisions that affect the entire company, businesses looking to fill technology positions are emphasizing a knowledge of business fundamentals. IT job seekers who can communicate equally well with engineers and executives will have a competitive edge.

For network managers, collaboration is key, as they often have to translate and recontextualize complicated information between management and engineers. Network architects, too, must combine extensive network experience with soft skills, such as leadership.

It’s largely a matter of making sure that IT priorities line up with business goals. Technicians who devote significant time to projects that might be technically interesting or challenging but aren’t strategically aligned to the business aren’t giving their employers the full advantage of their expertise.